title: Is there evidence of recent hepatitis E virus infection in English and North Welsh blood donors?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The risk of hepatitis E virus (HEV) to blood safety remains unknown in England. Reports of persistent HEV infection with serious disease sequelae indicate that transfusion transmitted HEV is not a trivial disease in immunosuppressed patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples from unselected blood donors and donors with a history of jaundice were tested for HEV antibody and RNA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 10% of the donor sera were anti-HEV IgG reactive. Four of the donor samples were anti-HEV IgM reactive but HEV RNA negative.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is evidence of probable recent HEV infections in donors with a predicted attack rate of 2.8%.
authors.affiliation: Blood Borne Virus Unit, Virus Reference Department, Centre for Infections, Health Protection Agency, London, UK.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Beale
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tettmar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Szypulska
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tedder
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ijaz
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001782:Blood Donors; D004739:England; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007565:Jaundice; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D014852:Wales
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012367:RNA, Viral